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If you’ve lost your teeth to dental disease or injury, complete or partial dentures can help replace them.

You don’t have to go through embarrassing situations such as smiling with pursed lips or covering your mouth while you speak because you’ve lost some or all of your teeth.

Replacing your missing teeth with dentures restores oral health and function as well as significantly improving overall appearance.

Notice how the contour of the face changes when a person has a lot of missing teeth?  The facial muscles sag because there’s no support from the teeth and supporting bone that would normally be there.  In addition, they often have difficulty speaking and eating without the support of teeth.

Dentures comes in two types: Fixed and removable.  And within the discussion of this article, we’ll address the removable types.

Removable dentures are categorized as either full or partial.

A partial denture typically replaces one or two teeth, while a full denture replaces all the teeth in one dental arch – upper or lower.  Both types can be made to replace teeth immediately after extraction or long after healing is complete.

In the case of full dentures, a couple of additional terms can be used: conventional full denture and immediate complete denture.

A conventional full denture is intended to replace the missing teeth after all remaining teeth have been removed and the tissues have healed.

Whereas, immediate dentures are fitted and inserted as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. With immediate dentures, you don’t have to be toothless during the healing period. And, the immediate denture also acts as a protective bandage that allows the gums to heal faster as it helps prepare them for continuous denture wear.

Immediate dentures are normally relined or even remade completely after tissue healing is complete.

An impression of the dental arch is taken, and the new denture or the reline is made to identically match the contours of the person’s jaw.

This makes for a perfect fit and a highly functional dental appliance that looks and acts almost like the real thing.

Dentures need special attention and same goes with your oral health.

According to the American Dental Association, the following are some of the basic oral care procedures to ensure your dentures are in perfect condition and your gums are in the pink of health.

• Make sure that you brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning before you insert your dentures.  This increases blood circulation in the gums as it reduces plaque and bacteria concentrations.

• Dentures are delicate and fragile. Avoid dropping them on hard surfaces when you’re not wearing them.

• Clean your dentures regularly. This will reduce permanent stains and plaque. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush, ultrasonic cleaner or other non-abrasive method to clean your dentures.

• Some denture wearers use mild hand soap or dish-washing liquid to clean their dentures. These are acceptable alternatives to regular denture cleaning agents. Avoid using powdered cleansers and bleach as these are too abrasive on dentures.

• Do not allow acrylic dentures to dry out when they’re not worn.  They may lose their shape as a result.  Soak them in a dental cleanser solution or water instead.

Regular dental check-ups are also important. Your dentist needs to examine your dentures to see if they fit properly and if the dentures need to be relined, rebased or replaced due to normal wear.  All your oral soft tissues should be checked, as well.

Ill-fitting and loose dentures trigger mouth infections and painful sores.

So,  the minute you feel discomfort in your dentures, visit your dentist immediately.

For more information about dentures and partials, read our other articles on prosthodontics.

The topic of what causes bad breath is a common issue, due to the fact that we are social creatures.

If we didn’t have to talk with each other face to face, it wouldn’t be a problem at all, right?  But we do, and it is…

Bad breath, medically known as halitosis, is a common oral problem and there are many different causes for bad mouth odor.

To know whether you suffer from halitosis, try a simple bad breath test by licking the back of your hand or the inside of your wrist.

Wait for the saliva to dry for five seconds and then smell it.  If you smell a bad odor, you can be pretty sure that your breath is the same, too.

What Are The Common Causes Of Bad Breath?

There are a number of reasons for bad breath, but foremost among them, bad breath is usually caused by a build-up of excessive oral bacteria in the mouth and tongue as a result of food debris, plaque or gum disease.

Additionally, watch what you eat.  Eating certain foods that contain onions or garlic are also known to cause bad breath.

That’s because they contain odor-causing volatile sulfur compounds that can cause breath to smell bad.

Consumption of alcohol, coffee or diary products can also cause the breath to smell unpleasant.

Smoking or use of tobacco products irritates the gums, causes loss of taste, discoloration of the teeth and definitely makes for bad breath.

Individuals who smoke are also more likely to suffer from gum problems such as periodontal disease, which is well  known to cause bad breath.

Certain medications like antidepressants, diuretics and aspirin can lead to a decrease in saliva production, causing dry mouth (xerostomia).

Since our saliva is our body’s natural mouthwash to help cleanse and reduce bacteria in our mouth, a lack of saliva production can result in our breath smelling bad.

Similarly, due to the reduced activity of our salivary glands during sleep, most people wake up in the morining with foul smelling breath.

On other rare occasions, bad breath can also be caused by other health or medical problems such as infection in the respiratory tract, chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, throat or tonsil infection, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailments.

Remember, the most common causes of bad breath are preventable and can be easily treated once the sufferer understands the fundamental causes of their bad breath.

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There is definitely nobody that has not experienced a problem with foul smelling breath.

This situation can be so easily handled, even for all the embarrassment and discomfort it can cause.

The battle of bad breath does not always have to be as long or difficult as many believe. Whenever you notice a problem with halitosis, you can take these useful steps to put an end to your bad breath.

Can you Prevent Bad Breath

The term ‘Practice Good Dental Hygiene’ seems obvious, but it’s true, since many people still face problems.

The number one step in eliminating bad breath is to simply brush your teeth and tongue at least twice daily – morning and night.  That and flossing once daily.

Proper teeth cleaning requires brushing for a minimum of 2-3 minutes.  Brushing without flossing is less effective and leaves 40% of the mouth not clean.

Bad breath is primarily caused by bacteria that builds up quickly on the tongue, so make sure you don’t forget to brush it as well as your teeth. Tongue scrubbers can be found on many toothbrushes, and tongue scrapers can be purchased at most drugstores.

Bad Breath Help

Get Your Daily Servings of Fruit and Vegetables

Mom had another good reason when she told you to eat your vegetables, but you probably never realized it.

To keep one’s tongue clean and healthy it’s advised to have vegetarian “roughage” with your meals.  The texture of many foods such as apples, will help to keep your mouth and tongue fresher.

Drink Tea

Tea is a natural way to stop bad breath because it has chemicals that work to slow the growth of the bad breath bacteria.  This is a far healthier option than traditional soda – both sugar and artificially sweetened.

Stay Hydrated

When the mouth gets dry, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.  Therefore, the obvious cause for unpleasant breath after waking up, is bacteria.

Staying properly hydrated allows your mouth to produce enough saliva so that the bacteria can be easily dislodged by the tongue and swallowed, before they can attach to the oral surfaces and colonize into dental plaque.

Take a few minutes during every meal to be aware of what you’re eating.  Eating plenty of vegetables and avoiding onions and garlic, can be of great help if you’re trying to keep your breath as fresh as possible.

Tangy and spicy foods often give rise to halitosis, so when you eat them, remember to clean your mouth afterward.  This can be done simply by swishing vigorously several times with clean water.  For a short term fix you can use a breath freshener or chewing gum, or have tea along with your food.

If you are struggling to be free of bad breath, eating chlorophyll-rich raw foods like Parsley to your daily diet will probably be of great help.

By paying attention to all these tips and tricks to eliminate bad breath, you can get rid of this embarrassing problem and keep your breath fresh all the time.

To summarize:  Proper oral hygiene, hydration and diet all play a major role in whether you’ll have halitosis or not.  The good news is that it’s quite easy to maintain a healthy oral environment that minimizes the bacterial growth that causes bad breath.

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• Bad Breath Most Common Causes (livingstrongandhappy.blogspot.com)

Surgery of any kind is not something to look forward to. It can be unpleasant, not to mention painful and nerve wracking.

One type of surgery that a lot of people put off having is surgery for diseased gum tissue, as it can be very painful for some time afterwards.

Thanks to the latest technology, people who need this surgery can now have a laser procedure that is much less invasive.

If you would like to find out more about laser gum surgery, here are some facts.

When laser surgery is performed, a tiny amount of energy will be aimed through a precision hand-held instrument at the gum to be treated.

This will quickly eliminate any tissue that is diseased from the gums, treating it efficiently and effectively.

During the treatment there is no incision made into the gums at all.  This is unlike traditional surgery, which can require a series of deep incisions to get rid of tissue that is diseased.

Laser gum surgery does not carry the risk of infection that many other gum surgeries do, as the wound left behind is closed and resembles a burn, as opposed to a scalpel incision.

For the majority of people who have laser gum surgery there is little or no bleeding.  This is because the laser cauterizes the wound as it is getting rid of tissue.

In addition to this, the laser will also seal the nerve endings, which means that the aftercare period is minimized as is post-op discomfort.

Many people who have traditional gum surgery are still recovering four weeks after surgery. With laser gum surgery this period is just a few days.

Now that you know about laser surgery, you might want to consider the expense of this option the next time you have a gum disease problem.

It is fast, minimally invasive, hygienic and has a short recovery time.  What more could you ask for with a surgical procedure?

However, why have to go through the expense of surgery at all? Even laser surgery is expensive!

Next: Follow the links below to get your free report on stopping gum disease and preventing it from returning again.

Two tools that might help you to avoid gum disease in the first place are oral irrigators and ora md.

Disclaimer: If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, please visit your doctor or periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition.

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Dental Examination in 3 Steps – Dentist Exam

Typically, a dental exam is scheduled once a year.  A dental examination usually includes a clinical dental examination, bitewing or similar x-rays and a teeth cleaning.

What should you expect?

Your dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth, gums, mouth and throat.  This includes both internal and external structures.  Sometimes, a brief orthodontic examination may be performed as well.

1. The head and neck examination typically takes dental exams a step further than traditional checkups.   The dentist will likely examine your facial structure and symmetry, which includes palpitation (using fingers to feel the structures) of chewing muscles and lymph nodes.

Furthermore, the dentist will normally perform a cancer screening and examine your Temporomandibular joint to make sure that everything is properly aligned.

2. A clinical dental examination, the main focus in any periodic dental exam, includes screening for gingivitis and periodontal pockets.

Tooth mobility, mucus membranes, saliva, and occlusion (bite) are almost always examined as well. Your dentist will also look for tooth decay, broken fillings, erosion, and assess the contacts between teeth.

3. Finally, the dental cleaning procedure will begin.   This starts with an overall assessment of mouth cleanliness, identification of specific areas of calculus (tartar) buildup and then scaling with sonic or non-sonic hand instruments.

After all tartar has been removed, the final steps include polishing or brushing of the teeth, flossing, and oral hygiene instructions given by the dental care professional servicing you. Many times, you may also be administered a topical fluoride treatment.

If one has orthodontic appliances, such as braces or a retainer, there is a possibility that a brief orthodontic examination may occur, as well.

Though typically performed by an orthodontist, a general dentist can also check the pressure of your arch wire, monitor your bite and the rate of its correction, and make sure that your retainer is continually doing the right things to maintain straight teeth.

The dentist may also recommend a teeth whitening regimen if you just recently had your braces removed.  This is usually done with teeth whitening kits, or even take-home teeth whitening gel. While professional teeth whitening may sometimes be a necessity, at home solutions tend to work just as well for most patients.

After completing the full dental examination and cleaning, your dentist will likely outline a detailed treatment plan – should one be deemed necessary.

They will also schedule a follow-up appointment with you, typically six months to a year from the present date, if no definitive restorative treatment is necessary before then.

Regular preventive maintenance, along with a home care regimen, will be crucial in maintaining good oral health.

A typical home care regimen might include brushing your teeth two or three times daily, flossing, using an antiseptic mouth wash and brushing or scraping your tongue each day to minimize colonization of disease-causing bacteria and prevent bad breath.

By: Paul Guenther
Teeth Cleaning